• Submitted by: manso
• Business and Economy
• 11 / 30 / 2010

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English.news.cn   2010-11-30 10:51:28. HAVANA, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Cuba opened a new laboratory Monday to research microwave radio frequency communications for mobile and satellite applications.

The new lab was set up while Havana, the country's capital, is hosting the 15th Scientific Convention on Engineering and Architecture.

The new lab was developed as part of a collaboration agreement between the Spanish University of Cantabria and Cuba's Polytechnic Institute Jose Antonio Echeverria (ISPJAE).

"This is a century of nanotechnology and information and communication technologies," Miguel Castro, executive secretary of the convention's Scientific Committee, told the press.

Cuba will also open a nanotechnology center for Latin American scientists, nuclear physicists, and state scientific advisers to Cuba, said Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, a state scientific adviser to Cuba.

The Center for Advanced Studies (CAEC) would be the top national institution focusing on nanotechnology research in Latin America, Diaz-Balart said, who happens to be the eldest son of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Cuba is ready to operate the first stage of the CAEC at the end of this year, Diaz-Balart said.

He added that Cuba will spend 1.21 percent of its GDP on scientific research. "It isn't for fame but for the people's welfare," he said.

The 15th Scientific Convention on Engineering and Architecture, organized every two years, is taking place in Havana from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3.

The meeting will be attended by more than 300 international experts including professors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Hydro-Quebec Research Institute (IREQ).

Hosted by the ISPJAE, the event includes 17 symposiums and conferences, lectures, workshops and round-table discussions.  

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/sci/2010-11/30/c_13628313.htm